Lucknow, June 22 (). Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) expressed deep condolence over the death of students and injuries to many others in the massive fire that broke out at a coaching center in Aliganj area of Lucknow.
Describing it as extremely heartbreaking, unfortunate and worrying, the Council said that prima facie this accident appears to be the result of ignoring fire safety standards, lack of regular inspection and administrative negligence.
ABVP said in the statement that such untimely withdrawal of students who had come to receive education shows a serious failure of the security system and regulatory system.
The Council said that students are the future builders of the country and ignoring safety standards in coaching institutes, hostels and other educational premises cannot be accepted under any circumstances. The Council has demanded from the Uttar Pradesh government and administration to conduct a high-level, impartial and time-bound investigation into the entire episode. It has also been said that strictest legal action should be taken against those persons, institutions or officials whose direct or indirect negligence is found responsible for this accident.
ABVP also demanded a special fire safety audit of coaching institutes, hostels and other educational complexes running across the state. The Council says that immediate punitive action should be taken against institutions violating safety standards, so that recurrence of such incidents can be prevented in future.
After the incident, ABVP workers have become active in helping the affected students and their families. The Council has also issued helpline numbers for emergency assistance, coordination and necessary information. ABVP said that its workers will be available for all possible cooperation in relief and assistance works.
ABVP National Minister Abhay Pratap Singh said that this incident in Aliganj is going to shock the entire student community. Paying tribute to the deceased students, he said that any kind of compromise with the safety of students’ lives cannot be acceptable. If this accident has occurred due to ignorance of fire safety standards or administrative negligence, then strict action should be taken against the culprits.
ABVP’s Awadh province minister Arpan Kushwaha said it was not just an accident but appeared to be the result of ignoring safety standards and failure of the responsible mechanism. He said that those who play with the lives of students should not be spared at any cost and a comprehensive audit of the security arrangements of all the educational campuses of the state should be conducted.
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